Final image from Gyoen Garden

One final view from within the grounds of Shinjuku Gyoen National Gardens looking out toward one of the buildings in Shinjuku complete with reflective lake and bridge. Within this photograph are some common elements apparent in most Japanese gardens. Ponds and streams‚ either real or implied‚ are often part of the Japanese garden. Water is considered a source of purification and refreshment, and in Shinto is revered.

Gardens that include bodies of water generally include bridges built of either wood (sori bashi) or stone (sori ishibashi). Some gardens with ponds that are too small for bridges employ slabs of natural uncut stones and may only traverse a sand or gravel 'stream'.

The Japanese garden also takes into consideration nearby or distant landmarks that could be seen from the garden — mountains, cascades, or works of architecture are used as “borrowed scenery” (shakkei) this element is particularly interesting when the large architecture and buildings of present day Tōkyō are taken into account.